Coronary angiography is used to identify and measure the luminal dimensions of blood vessels. Angiography however, cannot provide information about plaque content.
The subject invention addresses this deficiency by placing an imaging detector into the arteries to detect and characterize early-stage, unstable coronary artery plaques. This can provide a signature relevant to the 70% of heart attacks that are caused by minimally obstructive, unstable plaques that are too small to be detected by angiography.
The present invention describes construction of an intravascular imaging detector which works in concert with systemically administered plaque-binding beta-emitting radiopharmaceuticals such as 18-Fluorodeoxyglucose (18-FDG). The apparatus of the present invention accomplishes these benefits by identifying and localizing these plaque-binding beta or conversion electron emitting radiopharmaceuticals.
Intravascular imaging probes constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention yield detectors, which satisfy the difficult constraints of the application in terms of size of the device, needed sensitivity, and conformance to the intravascular requirements.
The apparatus of the present invention will allow new targeted and cost effective therapies to prevent acute coronary artery diseases such as: unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death.